Good Men doing Nothing is the Evil

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

How by any stretch of the imagination could a man doing nothing in the face of evil be considered a good man ? Why would I have any expectations of evil and why shouldn't we all have high expectations for "what should be good"?

Martin Luther King I believe would agree with that, when he said:

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in
it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without
protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

AndHistory will have to record that the greatest tragedy
of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the
bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

And again

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

And again

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who
remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.

But who can blame them?

The good constantly beaten down by just the sheer stench of it, much more the actual deeds done or undone and their involvement or not. Maybe they have the right idea to look the other way or ignore it, would we all be better off being born blind except for the stench that is.

I think Bobby Kennedy got this quote from someone else but :There are those who look at things the way they are,
and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?

Because it'll get you shot Bobby, that's why. But at least you don't have to smell it anymore.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in
vanity, and speak lies ..

Nothing changes in thousands of years, it was true then, it remains so today.

And a great quote from Homer, Simpson that is ....the moral of the story is just don't try.

Some are born blind or become it, and then some just plain choose it , I'd trade my eyes if just didn't have to smell it anymore.

Comments

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Author

PhoenixV 23 months agofrom USA

Thanks for the comment Savvy.

Yves 2 years ago

So very true. Sitting back and doing nothing is unacceptable. If nobody speaks up, then the bullies and bad guys get a free pass. I can tell you right now----that does not work for me at all. I try to be polite, but if someone is being a jerk and I witness it, I'm not going to let it slide. In that respect, I have a pretty big mouth. LOL

Great article. Short but effective.

Author

PhoenixV 2 years agofrom USA

Thanks for the comments.

Lori Colbo 3 years agofrom Pacific Northwest

This was powerful. It was the people and nations that did nothing that perpetuated the Holocaust. It is a good reminder to me in this current time in our world (written several years after you published this) with Isis and the many other blatant evils that are thriving in our country and the world, to not sit back and say there is nothing I can do, the problems are too great, the evil forces are too strong. I am going to share this with others.

Anindita 5 years ago

Loved the quote, some are born blind....

It is not possible to awake the living dead....but I guess we have to keep doing out bit.

Wayne Brown 7 years agofrom Texas

And still the mighty stench grew from somewhere they could not see. No amount of cleansing would rid its foul odor or hide its insidious creep into the nostrils of those who searched for it. Yet for all their looking, the search was in vain for the foul aroma emanated from mankind himself. Thanks for a good hub. WB

Nancy's Niche 7 years ago

Apathy and injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere! Excellent quotes and sooooo very true!

tantrum 7 years agofrom Tropic of Capricorn

I agree with you. But sometimes good people can do nothing when the injustice is done in their working place, for example. Or in a writers site. I've been banned for less. Good hub ! thumbs up ! :)

awcase 7 years ago

So many of us just stop and stare just to see what is going on. Bless the good samaritain who stopped to help and made a difference. There is to much fear in the people now a days. great hub you have here thx for sharing it.

Paula 7 years agofrom The Midwest, USA

Phoenix, I am saddened to hear that you are banned from the Forums, for sharing what you saw and the links, etc. You still did the right thing, and many saw all of it as well. No one should be censored here on Hubpages, and especially not for sharing what they saw, and ask about it. Its not right. Hopefully you they will lift this incredibly unfair ban on you. We know you did nothing wrong.

Instgtr 7 years agofrom Mesa, Arizona

I remember back years ago I was out with my wife and we'd stopped at a convenience store. As we were walking back to the car, a man and a woman were fighting and she was crying for help.

I walked over and stopped the fight while the store manager called the police. When it was over and we were leaving, my wife told me she thought I'd made a stupid move getting involved, that I could have been hurt.

I looked at her and said, "Well, I hope that if anyone ever attacks you and I'm not around, someone else is "stupid" enough to get involved..." Her attitude was one of the many reasons she's now my EX-wife...

Earth Angel 7 years ago

Blessings to you this lovely morning!!

Yes, you are sooooooooooooooo right!! I think a lot of us, myself included, are just feeling the heavy weight of sooooooooooo much decline in our country and around the world!! Helping people find/redefine their moral compass is where my life is dedicated!!

Your quote above is from George Bernard Shaw and delivered by President Kennedy!! www.WhoSaidIt.com

Blessings on your day and all your efforts to stand in your Truth!

Earth Angel!!

Joni Douglas 7 years ago

Much of this goes back to our declining moral compass. So many don't even know what 'good' is anymore. Good hub.

Paula 7 years agofrom The Midwest, USA

"No good deed, goes unpunished", I heard that before, and its true, but its still awful to see the junk that goes on. My hardest part, is that people blame those that try to help all the others. Twisting and distorting the truth, to try and cover up things, hurts others. Its incredibly disheartening. Never ever give up trying to do right. Its like a shining light in a dark place, and people respect you for it.

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